Creating a Culture of Curiosity - A Key to Business Success?

CULTIVATING a culture of curiosity within our organisations is essential and should be at the core of every successful business effort.

Of course, seeking new information and experiences and exploring new ideas is nothing new.

However, research has shown that when applied to business, curiosity can be much more important than first thought.

In a recent Harvard Business Review article, leadership expert Francesca Gino explains how cultivating curiosity (at all levels), helps leaders and their employees adapt to uncertain market conditions and external pressures.

Harnessing curiosity also helps workers develop more trusting and collaborative relationships with their colleagues - while assisting them in coming up with more creative solutions.

The kicker though is for leaders: who by making only small changes to the operations of their organisations and how they manage their employees, can encourage curiosity and vastly improve their companies.

Unfortunately, despite the many benefits of curiosity, there are still many organisations that discourage it.

And this is not because they do not see its value: it’s just that in reality, most leaders stifle curiosity, fearing it will increase risk and inefficiency.

Indeed, in a recent survey conducted of more than 3000 employees from a wide range of firms and industries, about 70 per cent of employees said they faced barriers to asking more questions at work.

According to Gino, there are two main reasons many leaders refrain from encouraging curiosity:

1. They fear a costly and messy outcome

In a recent survey of 520 chief learning officers and chief talent development officers, Gino found many of these executives believed their companies would be harder to manage and less efficient if people were allowed to explore their own interests. To put it simply - they feared disaster…

2. They seek efficiency over exploration

When leaders stymy their employees into a single-minded focus on efficiency - curiosity and innovation can be left behind. A good example was in the early 1900s when Henry Ford produced the Model T, which went on to become by far the biggest selling vehicle in the US. However, by the 1920s, the public wanted more variety in their car choices and when Ford refused to change its offerings (citing efficiency), General Motors stepped up to offer a bigger range of vehicles and soon captured the main share of the market.

Fortunately curiosity and innovation do not have to be ignored within organisations, and there are several proven ways to bolster it:

1. Hire people for curiosity

When taking on new employees, try to use curiosity as a benchmark - and don’t just judge your candidates on their qualifications. For example, delve into their interests outside of work and whether they enjoy exploring new things, and uncovering new ideas and learning opportunities. Also, observe how candidates react to these questions, while taking note of the questions they themselves ask, and how curious they might be

2. As a leader - model curiosity 

In order for curiosity to really take off in an organisation, its leaders need to set the example. Therefore, many successful organisations have strong leadership support practised daily by its leaders. A good example was at the BBC in the UK in 2000, when newly-announced director general Greg Dyke spent five months visiting the BBC’s major locations to ask staff:  “What is the one thing I should do to make things better for you?” He then incorporated the responses into the BBC’s long-term vision to great effect

3. Give employees room to create

By giving employees more time and resources to explore their interests, leaders can produce remarkable results. A good example is encouraging their staff to take up training, learning and development, which is widely recognised as one of the best ways for workers to acquire more diverse skills, do better at work, and improve problem-solving.